A diagram of cognitive dissonance theory. Dissonance reduction can be accomplished in various ways, broadly including the addition of more, consonant elements, or else changing the existing elements. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Again, from Sott.net. their own post by Timothy C.Trepanier.

Nothing is more sad than the death of an illusion. ~ Arthur Koestler

Our greatest illusion is to believe that we are what we think ourselves to be. ~ H.F. Amiel

If we only knew what Illusion is, we would then know the opposite: what Truth is. This Truth would liberate us from slavery. ~ Boris Mouravieff

This introduction and the following article are relevant to today’s world, particularly with regard to the previous post explaining the need for the public to awaken from their illusion that all is well with their own world and that the US government is concerned for their (the public) security and well-being, whilst killing and maiming and invading other countries on the pretext of doing good.

It is also relevant to another injustice, whereby the illusion of catastrophic global warming permits whole countries to submit to outside control without a whimper. Disillusionment in this case is going to seriously hit hard because so many of the public have their hearts and minds set on saving the world, when they are actually in the process of losing it, from their own “ownership”.

The experience of disillusionment is one that is common to all. It is safe to say that at some time or another, every human being has had the experience of believing in something that turned out not to be true. The initial shock that comes when one’s perception of the world is revealed to be at odds with the hard facts of reality can range anywhere from mild disappointment to a feeling of overwhelming psychological trauma.

Whatever the degree of deception, the realization that one has been believing in a lie is a painful experience, not only psychologically but physically as well. Like a punch to the stomach, it can feel like one’s breath has been taken away. And because our beliefs about the world are interconnected with other beliefs fixed in our brains, the destruction of one belief can often lead to a cascade of collapse of many others.

When a person is confronted with facts that contradict currently held belief systems, they have one of two choices. The first choice is to go into denial mode by rejecting the facts as being untrue in order to prop up their chosen belief system and continue living as before. The second choice is to accept the new data and try and reconstruct a new internal paradigm or map of reality that accommodates the new information, which may mean putting into question all other beliefs associated with the old model.

The second choice is difficult and takes a great deal of strength in order to let go of one’s preconceived ideas and accept the new and factual data. The first choice is easy because it requires no effort, pain, sadness, or reordering of one’s life or values. It is also more comfortable, and because humans generally prefer comfort over pain, the first choice is often the default option.

The exact moment when a person becomes aware of facts that go against what is believed to be true, they experience what psychologists call cognitive dissonance; it is that tense, uncomfortable sensation that what one sees is so out of sync with what one already believes to be true, that the mind instantly rejects it, even when the facts are plain and indisputable.

It is in this moment of experiencing cognitive dissonance (you can recognize it by the tension and discomfort that triggers a “knee-jerk” reaction) that the crucial battle for truth over fiction takes place. If a person can muster the awareness and strength of will to not give in and take the comfortable route by immediately dismissing the facts outright, and hold the conflicting information in their minds while consciously experiencing the negative feelings associated with cognitive dissonance, the resulting liberation can be transformational. It has to be experienced to be believed!

Read the whole article here. Even if you’re not in agreement with my examples of ‘illusions’, this article has a lot going for it. Hopefully you will find it a very interesting read, very educational!

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About Ken McMurtrie

Retired Electronics Engineer, most recently installing and maintaining medical X-Ray equipment. A mature age "student" of Life and Nature, an advocate of Truth, Justice and Humanity, promoting awareness of the injustices in the world.

4 Responses to The Necessity of Disillusionment

Reblogged this on THE INTERNET POST and commented:
Even if you’re not in agreement with my examples of ‘illusions’, this article has a lot going for it. Hopefully you will find it a very interesting read, very educational!

Technical HINTS:

TIPS:

To believe the mainstream media is to risk ever knowing the truth about the real world. To believe government, (any government), issued information without considering their agenda(s), is to risk being brainwashed.

WISDOM

"Our lives begin to end, the day we become silent about things that matter".--Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

"I am only a child playing on the beach, while vast oceans of truth lie undiscovered before me". - Isaac Newton

“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.” – Albert Einstein, who also said:
"The minority, the ruling class at present, has the schools and the press, usually the church as well. under its thumb. This enables it to organize and sway the emotions of the masses, and makes its tool of them!" And,
"Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocrities. The latter cannot understand it when a man does not thoughtlessly submit to hereditary prejudices but honestly and courageously uses his intelligence."

The art of writing is the art of discovering what you believe.
— Gustave Flaubert

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